Ender Himself, Asa Butterfield, Talks Harrison Ford and Ender's Game as a Potential New Star Wars

Fans of author Orson Scott Card's 1985 science fiction novel Ender's Game are anxious for details about the long-awaited film adaptation of the story. Set in a futuristic Earth 70 years after an insect-like alien species known as Formics, or Buggers, has invaded, the film follows select and gifted children who are trained in "Battle School" to fight to save Earth from the next wave of attack. Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) directs a cast the includes Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Asa Butterfield (Hugo), Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) and Abigail Breslin (Zombieland).

We had the opportunity to speak with Ender himself (Butterfield) recently about working with Harrison Ford and Ben Kingsley (for the second time), the visual look of the battle room in Ender's Game and the possibility that this film could be a new Star Wars.

IGN: Had you read the novel before you were cast?

Asa Butterfield: Yeah, as soon as I heard they were casting I read the book, so when I had my conversations with Gavin [Hood], I had a lot more knowledge on the character and the story.

IGN: There had been some rumors that the film was going to blend elements from Ender's Game and the parallel-timeline novel, Ender's Shadow.

IGN: What was it like to work with Harrison Ford on a sci-fi film? Did you talk to him about working on a big genre films, specifically, at all?

Butterfield: I think I was a bit scared to mention any of his past films. He's amazing and he's a really, really nice guy. He's really sweet, and he's an amazing actor as well. He is like one of the greatest in science fiction.

IGN: It's funny because, obviously Star Wars is a huge topic of conversation right now, and some people are already wondering if Ender's Game could be a new Star Wars. What's your take on that?

Butterfield: Well I hope so. I think it's got a very good possibility to be. I think it's unlike any other science fiction thing I've seen. It's amazing. A lot of science fiction films today are just about sort of lasers and explosions, but the best are the ones that have a lot more about character and theme; and that's one of the key parts of Ender's Game - the story. There are ideas behind it, about what makes human beings tick and that sort of thing.

IGN: What are some of the specific core messages, or themes, that you think audiences will respond to in Ender's Game?

Butterfield: Well there are loads of messages in this film. I think some of the key ones are about leadership, and when Ender first comes to Battle School his way of communicating is unlike anything anyone there has ever seen, which is why he shines and does so well. Another one of the key themes in the story is the choices that he would make, and how people affect other people's lives and character. For example, Ender's character is very much based on his siblings, Peter and Valentine. Valentine is very kind and open, she's like the nicest human being, whereas Peter is selfish, arrogant and horrible. Ender is stuck in the middle of them. So the story shows you that everyone has their darker and lighter side and that no matter how hard you try to be a good person you always have that dark place in you.

IGN: Speaking of the dark place, one of the controversies surrounding the novel was the violence. Has that been softened up at all for the film?

Butterfield: Yeah, of course. I mean they're aiming for a PG-13, so it had to be toned down. But everything from the book is still there, apart from, of course, the ages. They had to age up all of the actors, for obvious reasons. But all of those key moments from the book are still intact in the screenplay. They might be dulled down a bit, but the ideas behind them are still there.

IGN: You worked with Ben Kingsley previously on Martin Scorsese's Hugo, what was it like to work with him again on this film? Did you notice any similarities or differences between his approach and Harrison Ford's?

Butterfield: One of the really interesting things was watching the different way of acting for him on this film. He and Harrison, who is the king of science fiction, they both are so sweet and gave me lots of tips. They're both very method, so when the director said 'cut' they would stay in character, which helped them but also inspired me and some of the younger actors to do that as well. So it really makes the film look better. It really helps out, especially in the more emotional scenes.

IGN: One of the other things that we're all curious about is the visual aesthetic, particularly the battle room. Have you seen any of that footage?

Butterfield: Yes, well I saw the trailer for the first time on Monday this week, so that was very exciting. And I did some ADR (additional dialogue recording) earlier where I saw some bits and pieces. The visual effects aren't entirely finished for the whole film yet, but it does look incredible from what I've seen.

IGN: Can you talk about Gavin Hood's approach to shooting those scenes and creating the zero gravity effect in the battle room? What kinds of stunts can we expect?

Butterfield: Those are surprisingly difficult to shoot. We had a lot of training, and a lot of talks with people who had been to space about what it's like in zero gravity and how it affects your movements so that we could try to recreate it in the most believable way. Of course we're hanging from harnesses, which aren't the most comfortable things to wear, and we're wearing Flash Suits ***, which also weren't the most comfortable things to wear. So you were very hot and sweaty and stiff when you were up there and yet had to keep the movements smooth and fluid, which is what it's like in zero gravity. So you have to keep your body loose, basically. But in order to stop your body from falling over in the harness you have to completely tense up. So doing all this whilst saying your lines is really hard. But we had a lot of training for it, and I'm pretty sure it looks good.

IGN: From what you've seen so far, can you liken the visuals to anything else?

Butterfield: I think the visuals of it are very, very original. Because the battle room is just a glass sphere, and because Battle School is in space, it allows you to see out. You can see stars, you can see Earth, you can see all of the colors from the sun and the sea and the green of the land. And it gives a very original and sort of beautiful look to the film that is unlike anything you'd see in a sci-fi film. And that's contrasted by the metal and the orderedness of the station. So you have these two contrasting elements: the freedom of the battle room and the ordered look of the dorms and the corridors.

IGN: With so much story to tell, and such rich characters, has anyone talked to you about the possibility of sequels yet? Of doing a multiple film arc with one continuous storyline?

Butterfield: Well I really hope there will be [additional films]. It lets me play Ender more, and I really love the character, but I think it depends on how well this film does.

Ender's Game is set to open in Europe on October 31 and in U.S. theaters on November 1.

Look out for the first trailer, which will be appearing in front of Star Trek Into Darkness when it opens in U.S theaters on May 17.

Roth Cornet is an Entertainment Editor for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @RothCornet and IGN at Roth-IGN.